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armored reptiles emerge from the ocean to 

 fling sand wildly about on some remote, 

 untamed beach." So Sea Turtles of the World 

 begins. 



Perrine intends not only to educate 

 readers about sea turtle origins, biology and 

 behavior, but also to enlighten them, move 

 them in a way that makes conservation seem 

 less of a political or cultural mindset and 

 more of a necessity. 



And the pictures do just that. Turning 

 each page becomes a pleasure as you flip 

 from a photograph of a "green turtle 

 hatchling" gliding peacefully in a sea of 

 shimmering blue to a female olive ridley as 

 she "excavates the egg chamber of her nest 

 on an arribada beach in Costa Rica." 



Sea Turtles of the World does not come 

 short with text to back up the amazing 

 photography. The writing is true to its intent 

 to teach the past, present and future of the sea 

 turtle in an interesting and positive light. 

 According to Perrine, the 



evolutionary beginnings of the turtle remain a 

 mystery. Yet the oldest fossils found of the 

 marine turtle date to 208-145 million years 

 ago — from the Jurassic period. 



A "families and species" section in the 

 book serves as a detailed index for the seven 

 species of sea turtles — green sea turtle, 

 loggerhead turtle, hawksbill turtle, olive 

 ridley turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, Australian 

 flatback turtle and the leatherback turtle. 



Perinne provides tips and cautions for 

 watching sea turtles from land and water. 

 Taking care not to disturb them, "observers 

 are treated to a rare glimpse into the lives of 

 these fascinating survivors from the Age of 

 Dinosaurs," he relates. 



• OH NO! HANNAH'S SWAMP IS 

 CHANGING, by Marilyn Barrett-O'Leary, 

 with illustrations by Catherine Kiffe. 2002. 

 Louisiana Sea Grant, Baton Rouge, LA 

 70803. 30 pages. Paperback, $10. 



Oh No! Hannah 's Swamp is Changing 

 inspires a new outlook on the natural world as 

 well as that of children's picture books. 



Kiffe, an artist and teacher, creates 

 striking illustrations, in part, because they 

 were created by crayon. Kids will relate to 

 the pictures because they've experienced 

 firsthand the amazing possibilities that erupt 

 from the tip of a crayon. Adults will be 

 amazed by the simple beauty expressed in 

 the drawings, and taken back to a time 

 where coloring inside the lines was their 

 only worry. 



The story that lent its inspiration to the 

 pictures is moving as well as educational — 

 having been spawned from Louisiana Sea 

 Grant's aquatic education program. Hannah 

 the heron shares the wonder of her swamp 

 with readers as she sees it, a home and a 

 living system. Hannah possesses love and 

 knowledge of her surroundings, as all living 

 creatures should — a lesson that humans 

 must leam through the conflict of the book. 



Due to human negligence, a 

 nonindigenous species, the water hyacinth, 

 is introduced into the swamp. And just when 

 Hannah begins to fear the worst for her 

 delicate home, the humans help. As the 

 ecosystem is restored, Hannah's faith in the 

 people is restored. O'Leary writes, "Hannah 

 sees that people care for the habitat. They 

 work to keep the ecosystem healthy." 



Vocabulary words, such as habitat, 

 ecosystem and native species, are introduced 

 into the reading to help children along. A 

 glossary is located at the back of the book 

 along with a coloring poster. The poster 

 features hidden pictures of plants and 

 animals native to Louisiana for kids to locate 

 and color, clinching the book as a dynamic 

 learning and leisure activity for those 

 wishing to escape into the imaginative world 

 of Hannah's swamp. 



To purchase Oh No! Hannah 's Swamp 

 is Changing, navigate to this section of the 

 Louisiana Sea Grant Web site: www.lamer. 

 Isu.edu/classrooin/nis/index.htm. Then 

 download the order form and follow 

 directions from there. For further questions, 

 call Marilyn Barrett-O'Leary at 225/578- 

 6349 or send e-mail to moleary@lsu.edu. □ 



COASTWATCH 25 



